Hunter pours in 38 as Panthers beat ODU

ATLANTA -- Freshman R.J. Hunter poured in a career-high 38 points, including a school and Colonial Athletic Association record 10 three-pointers, as Georgia State dismantled Old Dominion, 83-63, Saturday at the GSU Sports Arena.

The Panthers won for the sixth time in their last seven games and handed Old Dominion (2-19, 0-9 CAA) their ninth straight loss to improve to 12-12, 7-4 in the CAA.

Hunter, one of the top freshman scorers in the nation, hit 10-of-15 shots from beyond the arc and 12-of-18 overall. His 38-point effort is the high for any CAA player this season and the most by a Georgia State player since Anton Reese scored 38 against Kansas State on Nov. 28, 1998. Only six Panthers have ever scored more points in a game.

The 10 treys by Hunter equal the CAA record originally set by Dre Smith of George Mason, who hit 10 against James Madison on Jan. 19, 2008.

As a team, Georgia State nailed 16 three-pointers, the second-most in any game in school history. The GSU record is 21 versus West Florida on Dec. 12, 2003, and the Panthers had not hit as many as 16 since 2005.

Manny Atkins added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, including four treys, while Devonta White had 10 points and eight assists. Rashaad Richardson chipped in with eight points and five steals. Hunter also contributed five rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals.

The Panthers shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the field.

Georgia State jumped out quickly, opening the game with four straight three-pointers to take an early 12-1 lead. ODU fought back and led briefly at 24-22 with six minutes left before the Panthers ended the half with a 33-28 advantage.

Behind treys by Hunter (two), Atkins and Richardson , the Panthers opened the second half with a 16-7 run to build a 49-35 lead at the first media timeout. From there, the Panthers lead never dipped below 12 points and climbed to as many as 23.

DeShawn Painter led Old Dominion with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. The Monarchs outrebounded Georgia State, 43-31, including 21-5 on the offensive glass, but shot just 32.3 percent from the field.